Would you like to be a guest blogger for Writer Beware?
To vary our subject matter and present differing points of view, we publish occasional guest blog posts on subjects relating to publishing, self-publishing, books, writing, the writing life, and, of course, literary schemes and scams. If you’re interested in writing about a current issue or problem in the industry, if you have a point of view about writing or publishing that you’d like to share, if you’ve had a writing or publishing experience that you think would help, inform, and/or warn other writers–we’d like to hear from you.
Here are some examples of guest blog posts we’ve hosted:
One Author’s First Month in KDP Select
How Deliberate Practice Can Make You An Excellent Writer
How Libraries Choose Books to Purchase
Self-Promotion: Starting Too Soon?
Grants for Writers: As Diverse As You Are
The Scam of Private Label Rights Articles
Distributor vs. Wholesaler–Getting Your Book on the Shelf
Posts must be at least 500 words, and can be as long as 1,200 words. We’re not a paying market, but we’ll give you a byline, a bio, and links to your website, blog, or whatever; we currently have over 21,000 subscribers, as well as more than 13,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter combined, so your post will definitely get some eyeballs. We’ll also expect you to be available to respond to comments on your post.
Please note our guidelines–and follow them.
– You must have expertise in your subject. That doesn’t mean you have to be a literary agent, editor, or even a published writer (though we would love to have guest blog posts by industry professionals)–but you do need to have some experience or skill that qualifies you to know what you’re talking about, and to write an informative, useful post that will be of interest to our readers.
– Your primary purpose must be to inform, not to promote. We understand that guest blogging is a way to raise your online visibility, and that’s fine. But please don’t contact us if you’re just interested in writing a puff piece in order to drive traffic to your own website or business. Obvious self-promo or SEO bait will be deleted without response.
– Your subject must be appropriate for the blog. If you’re not already a reader, please spend some time here to get a sense of what we’re all about. We often hear from would-be guest bloggers who haven’t done that–and we can always tell.
– Your views must be compatible with the general outlook of this blog. Again, if you’re a reader, you’ll probably have a sense of what that is. If you’re new to Writer Beware, read back for a few months to get a feel. We’re not suggesting that guest bloggers have to toe any sort of party line–we are always open to different and provocative viewpoints. But if, for instance, you want to argue that literary agents are greedy, cruel, and indifferent to real talent, we’re not interested, because we think you’re wrong. Or if you want to predict that in ten years there will be no more publishers and every author will be a mini-entrepreneur servicing a niche audience…we aren’t going to go for it, because we think that’s a pipe dream.
– You can pitch us your idea to see what we think, or simply write the post and send it in. Whichever works best for you.
– We reserve the right to reject your post, or if we accept it, to edit it. Editing is usually on the order of light copy editing (if your post needs content editing, we’ll probably reject it).
– We prefer original content, but will take reprints if they’re especially helpful. Be sure to let us know if your article has already been published.
So if you’d like to blog for Writer Beware, please contact us or leave a comment here, and we’ll be happy to discuss it!
I will be happy to give you my real name : It is Jim Fisher Snark the tird.
Anonymous, anyone who wants to submit a blog post to Writer Beware can do so, but they have to do so under their real names. So should I count you out?
I want to do a guest blog on the story that Writer Beware has refused and abdicated their responsiblity to cover-the scamming of Nancy Steinbeck by Charles Petit and how he lied to her and was suspended from Practicing law in Illinois for mental deficiency. Shame on you Writer Beware, you are not doing a good job because it is your friend who cheated, and you are not on the up and up.
Is there a deadline? I want to write about college education and writing, and how the former can lead to an improvement of the latter.
I wrote a sarcastic piece on some common style and grammar mistakes that might suit you. It's at http://twittertales.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/how-to-talk-english-like-more-gooder/
Louise Curtis
I could write about my experience with a small publisher (though I'd probably want to use an alias like Mr. X). Basically a cleaned-up version of this:
http://grumpybulldog.tumblr.com/post/24541209985/going-small
Count me in. I've been writing for over 40 years. I've had a dozen books published by mainstream companies such as Microsoft Press, Penton, Pearson and APress. I also got my start in the business in the early 90's by self-publishing my first Hitchhiker’s Guide to VBSQL. My current focus is on fantasy fiction writing. See http://theowlwrangler.com for an idea about that side of my writing career. And sure, I think there's a lot to be said to your readers including an article on how many companies out there provide services to new (and old) writers for a fee. There are courses, classes, whitepapers, editorial and copyedit services, cover artists and eBook conversion companies, not to mention printers and on-demand publishers that are more than willing to take our money. Are they scams? Nope. Most are legitimate companies but choosing the best one is a challenge. Which eBook publisher supports its authors better? Which ones have live people to help with complex issues? Sure there’s a lot to write and blog about. I’ll be posting some of those comments here, if you like or if not, on my own blog http://williamvaughn.blogspot.com.